This invention relates to organic orthocarbonates and more particularly, to organic polynitroorthocarbonates.
In the early 1950's, M. E. Hill and co-workers at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory, found that certain nitroalcohols would react with carbon tetrachloride in the presence of anhydrous ferric chloride to yield ##STR2## symmetrical orthocarbonates. (e.g., See U.S. Pat. No. 3,306,939, entitled "Orthoesters of 2,2,2-Trinitroethanol," which issued to Marion E. Hill on Feb. 28, 1967.) However, the reaction is of very limited synthetic value for energetic orthocarbonates as only three nitroalcohols (2-fluoro-2,2-dinitroethanol, 2,2,2-trinitroethanol and 2,2-dinitropropane-1,3-diol) have been successfully used. With other nitroalcohols side reactions predominate and the principal product is the carbonate. Another drawback to Hill's method is that only symmetrical and no "mixed" orthocarbonates can be prepared. Heretofore no method has been available for the synthesis of 1:3 "mixed" orthocarbonates.